They're Growing Up
by kaela097
Summary: As their children grow, Chuck and Blair must deal with one child as he begins acts out seemingly without reason.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**I've made you wait longer than I had anticipated and for that I apologize. The results of the poll from the previous story was pretty even, so I will be doing both stories. Hope you all enjoy.**

"Charlotte is starting kindergarten tomorrow," Chuck stated in total disbelief. Where the hell had the time gone?

"I know," Blair responded as she rested her head against his bare chest as they lay in bed. She was tracing random patterns across his hairy chest with her fingers. He would flinch every now and then when her caress tickled him, but he didn't reach out to stop her. "Doesn't it make you feel old?"

"You keep me young," he assured her as he kissed her forehead.

"Brice is so jealous," Blair chuckled in amusement as he reached out for her hand and began caressing each finger with his lips, "He keeps picking up Charlee's backpack and putting it on."

"I'm going to get him his own tomorrow," Chuck assured her, "He is not wearing that neon pink atrocity around this house again."

"Chuck Bass, since when do you have a problem with men wearing pink?" she laughed as she pinched his nipple playfully, "You used to wear it all the time."

"I don't have a problem with pink. I'll still wear it on occasion if it goes with your ensemble," he shrugged, "But that bubble gum, Pepto Bismol pink is too much even for me. Why you bought that hideous thing is beyond me."

"It's the one Charlee chose," Blair rationalized, "I'd like you to try turning her down when she gives you her puppy dog eyes."

"Never going to happen," Chuck sighed, "I can't turn her down any more than I can turn you down."

Charlotte had Chuck wrapped around her little finger, and she was starting to figure that out. She was a spoiled little princess, they freely admitted it, but they also made sure that she was well rounded. She interacted well with children her age, in fact, they seemed to gravitate towards her. She wasn't bossy like Blair had been at her age. She seemed to have picked up Serena's carefree attitude. Blair and Chuck were pretty sure it had more to do with Charlotte's natural self-confidence than the influence of her godmother.

"When was the last time you turned me down?" she asked playfully.

They both began chuckling as they tried to come up with an example. He denied her very little in life. They had passed their seventh anniversary that spring by renewing their wedding vows in an intimate garden setting at their Hamptons home and completely bypassed the seven year itch.

"We have to plan something fun to do with Brice tomorrow," Blair stated after giving up on trying to find an example for Chuck. "He wants to go to school so much."

"We could take him and Barty to the park for the day," Chuck offered. Barty was the newest addition to the family in the form of a golden Labrador puppy that Chuck had given his son as a reward for keeping the vow renewal ceremony a secret from Blair. Surprisingly even at the age of three, his son was very responsible with the dog. He went with for every walk in the park, made sure that he had food and water, and gave him all the attention that the dog wanted.

"We'll have to ask him," Blair responded.

"We could just ask him what he wants to do," Chuck stated as she snuggled closer to him as she began to drift off to sleep, "It will be the first time that he won't have to negotiate with his sister to do what he wants."

"They certainly do act like siblings," Blair mused with a smirk on her face.

Brice was the typical younger brother that annoyed his sister to no end. He was always around to harass her, hide her toys, or cause general chaos for Charlotte. It had gotten worse with the help of his dog who had more of a taste for dolls than shoes.

"Do you ever think about us having more children?" Chuck asked as he caressed the skin at her back softly.

Blair momentarily froze in his arms, which didn't go unnoticed by Chuck.

"Have you thought about it?" she stammered out.

"A little," he shrugged as his hand moved to gently caress her arm that was resting on his chest.

"And when you think about it, what do you think?" she inquired as she shifted so that she could look into his eyes.

"You're going to think I'm being selfish," he responded as he looked away from her.

"Chuck, what do you mean by that?" she asked as she reached up to turn his gaze to hers once again.

"I don't want more kids," he stated, "And I feel horrible for saying that because I love the children we have so much."

"I know you do, and what is more important is that they know how much you love them," she assured him, "Why would you say that you're being selfish?"

"Well, my motives for not wanting more children, aren't strictly pure," he stated, "It was absolute torture for me when you gave birth to our children. You know that. I don't know if I could go through that again. Besides, our family feels complete."

"I agree. Our family does feel complete," she stated before she mischievously added, "Besides pregnancy puts a damper on our sex life."

Chuck began laughing. He was suddenly convinced that she really could read his mind. "I wasn't going to throw that in there, but since you brought it up. That's the other reason."

"I know," she laughed softly, "It was just as hard for me as it was you during those few months when the doctor told us we couldn't be intimate."

"So, the question now is, what are we going to do about it?" he pressed, "We take precautions, but there is only one fool proof method, and abstinence is not an option as we have just discussed."

"What's all this business about 'we take precautions'?" she teased, "I take precautions."

"Well, I make sure you take precautions," he grinned devilishly.

"Do you count my pills or something," she smirked.

"Occasionally," he replied with a mischievous grin.

"You do not," she responded as she slapped his chest playfully.

"We're getting sidetracked," he stated as he grabbed a hold of her wrist to prevent further assault. There was already a faint red mark on his chest from where she hit him, and he had intended for this to be a serious discussion.

"Well, we have a couple of more permanent options," Blair stated, "I could get my tubes tied, or you could get a vasectomy."

Chuck instantly flinched at the word. Just the mere thought of anyone coming close to him with a blade scared the crap out of him. His eyes must have betrayed his thoughts.

"You want me to get my tubes tied, don't you," she concluded as she studied the sheer panic in his eyes.

"I didn't say that," he responded defensively.

"You didn't have to," she insisted as she rolled away from him, "It's written all over your face. Listen up, Mister Bass, I gave birth to those two amazing children, and I went through all the pain of pregnancy and childbirth. You could at least consider taking one for the team."

"I never ruled it out," he insisted as he rolled onto his side to face her. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears, "You are the one that jumped to the conclusion that I had."

"So you'll get the vasectomy," she stated.

"I haven't said that either," he replied, "We should talk about this."

"What is there to talk about?" she demanded, "We have two options. One is an invasive surgery that requires serious recovery time. The other is an outpatient procedure that will have you back in the saddle in a few days."

"But someone coming that close to me with a blade in their hand," he winced.

"Men and their fragile organs," she huffed, "You all act as if the world will end if someone comes within five feet of you."

"You come much closer than that, Beautiful," he smirked.

"You know what I mean," she snapped. She was not in the mood for their playful banter.

"Let me think it over for a few days," he proposed, "This isn't something that has to be decided on right away."

"What if I said that I won't make love with you again until we come up with a solution?" she pressed.

"Are you saying you'll hold out on me until I have a vasectomy?" he groaned, "Blair, we go hours in between interludes, not days. Neither one of us will last long."

"I'm giving you a taste of what it would be like if you had me get my tubes tied," she snapped as she rolled away from him and closed her eyes. Apparently that was her signal that this conversation was over.

"Crap!" he mentally cursed to himself as he rolled onto his back and began staring at the ceiling. She seemed serious about this. She never rolled away from him during an argument. Usually they kept yelling until they resolved whatever issue they were arguing about a the moment.

"Blair," he called out to her as he tried to roll her towards him.

"Seriously, Chuck, we need to end this discussion right now," Blair stated as she fought his attempts to roll her over, "You'll end up in the guest bedroom if we continue."

"We need to resolve this," Chuck insisted. They never went to bed angry before, and he wasn't going to start now.

"You want me to go through a seriously painful procedure just so your precious male ego stays in complete working order," she hissed as she turned towards him suddenly. He nearly rolled out of bed trying to dodge her flailing arms, "Are you wanting to ensure that you'll still be able to procreate?"

"I just told you that I don't want more children," he insisted, "Where would give you a ridiculous idea like that?"

"Maybe you're wanting to wait until you move on to your second wife," she snapped.

"Now you are being outright delusional," he snarled back, "You are the only wife that I will ever have or want. You're also the only person I'd ever want to be the mother of my children."

"Then you'll have the vasectomy," she proclaimed.

"We're not even going to have the discussion, are we," he realized, "You've already made up your mind that I'm having this vasectomy, and you'll hold out on me until I do. Honestly, Blair our children are more mature you're being at the moment."

"Are you calling me a child!" she snapped.

"You need to calm down," he demanded as he rose from the bed abruptly.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" she shouted as he disappeared into their closet.

"I'm not going anywhere," he yelled back as he reappeared in a pair of track pants and cotton shirt, "But I also can't argue with you effectively while we're both naked. Put a robe on or something."

"Don't tell me what to do!" she demanded as she sat up and slipped into her silk robe that was at the end of the bed.

There was a small knock at their bedroom door that startled them both.

Chuck quickly opened the door to see their sleepy three-year-old son was on the other side with his teddy bear tucked under one arm and puppy at his side.

"What's wrong, Little Man," Chuck inquired as he knelt down on one knee as he looked at his son who had tears in his eyes. Brice dropped his bear before he quickly threw himself into his father's arms and hugged him tight.

"Don't leave, Daddy," Brice sniffled.

Chuck's heart broke at the statement as he lifted his son as he stood up. He looked at Blair with a guilty expression on his face which matched her own. They had woken their son with their argument.

While their bedroom had been soundproofed a long time ago, occasionally they had found that their voices traveled through their closet and into Brice's bedroom, which was right next to theirs. It was a rare occurrence, as they had to be really loud, but tonight must have been one of those instances.

"Daddy isn't going anywhere," Blair assured her son as Chuck lowered the small brunette into his mother's arms.

"Don't leave, Mommy," Brice stated as he then threw his arms around his mother's neck.

"Nobody is leaving," Chuck assured their son as he rubbed the small boy's back rhythmically, "We're sorry that we woke you."

"You were yelling really loud," Brice stated as he curled willingly into Blair's arms to seek out her comfort.

"You're right, we were," Blair nodded as she ran her hands through his thick brown hair, "And we shouldn't have been."

"Why are you mad?" Brice pressed as he turned so that he could see both of his parents while sticking his thumb into his mouth. Blair and Chuck felt even guiltier as they looked at their son. He only sucked his thumb when he was really scared about something.

"Daddy and I are having a grownup problem," Blair stated. Her son wouldn't understand the problem even if they told him, so she tried to simplify the issue as much as she could. Chuck could see that wasn't going to work. Their son was too smart for his own good.

"Kiss and make up," Brice mumbled against him thumb as he refused to take it out to speak.

"It's not that simple," Blair stated as she brushed his hair away from his face. He needed a haircut, she realized, but he would only do it when Chuck had his cut, which was still a few weeks away.

"Kiss," Brice demanded, "And mean it."

Chuck coughed abruptly to cover up the chuckle that escaped. He saw the twinkle of amusement in his wife's eyes as well so he felt safe as he leaned in to kiss her softly.

"I said mean it," Brice snapped when Chuck pulled away.

"I did mean it," Chuck insisted, "And so did Mommy."

Blair didn't even try to hide her amusement as her son scowled at his father. Chuck was quick to return with his patented stare. Brice had the same brooding stare that his father did although Chuck rarely used his anymore. He didn't have a lot in his life to frown at.

"Sweetheart, go back to bed," Blair encouraged him as she lifted him to his feet, "Daddy and I have to finish talking."

"No yelling," Brice scolded both of them as Chuck lifted him off their bed. Brice trotted out of the room, grabbing his teddy bear as he went with his puppy nipping at his heals. Chuck followed him to the door and closed it.

"I'm sorry," they both stated in unison when Chuck turned around.

"I'm sorry," Blair repeated, "You're right. I'm not even letting us have this discussion. My mind is already made up, and that's not fair to you."

"And I'm being irrational about this vasectomy thing. You're right. My procedure is much less invasive. I'll schedule an appointment first thing tomorrow morning," he responded.

"I don't want to force this on you," she responded quickly.

"Wasn't that what you were trying to do minutes earlier, before we woke Brice," he chuckled.

"How is it that we always agree, but not always at the same time," she laughed along with him.

"It just takes me a few minutes longer," he grinned, "We're not all blessed with your intelligence."

"I love you, Bass," she sighed as she leaned in and captured his lips. He was going to respond with his 'I love you too', but her lips pressed against his muffled his reply.

"What are we going to do about Brice?" Chuck inquired as he reluctantly pulled away, "He has this ridiculous idea that one of us is leaving. This isn't the first time he's overreacted recently."

"I don't understand where he's getting this," she added, "You and I rarely argue, and never in front of the children."

"He's getting it from his friend Devon," Chuck stated, "Her parents are getting divorced."

"Which one is Devon?" Blair inquired. Brice had so many friends that she could never keep track of them all.

"She's the curly haired blonde," Chuck responded, "Her father is the cardiologist."

"And her mother is that silicon bimbo," Blair rolled her eyes. She dreaded play dates with Devon merely because her mother was an unbearable bore. "I'm not surprised."

"Not everyone can be as blissfully happy as the two of us," Chuck smirked as he leaned in to lightly kiss her lips.

"Kiss me like you mean it," she giggled into his lips.

"I did mean it," he laughed, "Where the hell did he get that?"

"He's just so used to the two of us devouring each other, that a small peck on the lips just doesn't satisfy," she cooed as she leaned into him again.

"It doesn't exactly satisfy me either," Chuck responded as he met her half way and devoured her as she described. She began humming against his lips. It was a tune that she had been singing a lot recently. "One of these days you're going to have to name that tune."

"I can't get no . . . satisfaction," she sung out seductively, emulating the Rolling Stones classic hit.

"Seriously, if that isn't a misnomer, I don't know what is," Chuck responded in great amusement. She was throwing down the gauntlet in which he was only too happy to accept. "Prepare yourself for the greatest satisfaction you have ever known."

"That's a pretty bold statement," she whispered in his ear before she began nibbling on his earlobe, "I'm a very satisfied woman thanks to my stud of a husband."

"We've been married for seven years. You have never referred to me as a stud before," he laughed out.

"I thought that was implied," she cooed as she climbed over him.

**TBC. . . **

**I hope the wait was worth it. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**I probably should have mentioned this in Chapter One for those new to my stories, but this story takes place after the events of my story 'Seven Year Itch'. The sequence list for my stories has been updated to include this most recent stories, so those that are interested can read in sequence. Also the rating right now is 'T', but I foresee that this rating will probably be changed to 'M'. I hope nobody will mind. I'll let you know when I change it.**

"Go grab your backpack, Charlotte. It's time for school," Blair told their daughter as she sat at the breakfast table that morning and happily ate her muffin and fresh fruit. At her mother's prompting, Charlotte hopped off her chair and skipped towards her bedroom to retrieve her bag.

"Alright, Little Man, it's just you, me and Mommy today. What do you want to do today?" Chuck inquired as Brice tried to sneak a piece of his muffin to his dog. Blair's disapproving look stopped him from following through with his plan.

"Whatever I want?" he asked hopefully.

"Whatever you want," Chuck nodded, "Yankees game, Museum of Natural History, Air and Space Museum, Coney Island, or any other destination your heart desires."

"Central Park," Brice responded without hesitation.

"I knew you'd say that," Chuck grinned as he gave his wife a knowing smile. Blair leaned over and kissed her husband. Brice used their momentary distraction to finally sneak Barty the food he'd been trying to give him.

"Brice Nathaniel Waldorf-Bass, I saw that," Chuck scolded his son, "We've told you how many times that feeding Barty people food is not good for him. Don't you want him to live a long and healthy life?'

"Yes," Brice pouted as tears welled in his eyes.

"Then stop feeding him," Chuck told him gently as he reached out to ruffle his son's hair before proclaiming, "We need a hair cut, don't we?"

"Yes," Blair chimed in, "Perhaps Daddy should call his stylist and schedule an appointment this week."

"Perhaps I should," Chuck nodded.

Charlotte came bouncing into the room with her bubble gum backpack on her shoulder. Barty scrambled over and began chewing at the loose end of her bag.

"Stop it, Barty," Charlotte squealed as she yanked the end away. Barty, thinking it was a game, jumped around and tried to catch the end again, nearly knocking Charlotte off her feet as she tried to move around to avoid the dog. Chuck quickly rose to his daughter's rescue and grabbed Barty's collar as Blair retrieved the labrador's leash.

"Sit," Chuck commanded the dog as he held the leash firm. Barty put his head down immediately as if realizing that he was in trouble. Brice was quickly off his chair and running to his puppy to hug him tight.

"Are you ready for school?" Blair asked her daughter.

Charlotte nodded her head vigorously. Her eyes lit up in excitement. Chuck was reminded of Blair every first day of school they experienced together. She had the same eagerness, the same excitement.

"Brice, go get your shoes on," Blair instructed her son.

"Do I have to go?" Brice whined as he continued to rub down his beloved dog.

"Don't you want to see your sister safely to school?" Blair inquired.

Brice appeared to give it a great deal of thought for a few moments. "Can Barty go?" Brice inquired. He rarely went anywhere without his dog. This request didn't surprise either parent.

"If he doesn't chew on Charlotte's bag, yes," Chuck agreed, "Now go get your shoes on."

"Alright, Charlotte, be good today." Blair told their daughter as the limo pulled up in front of her private school. "Listen to Ms. Kendrick, and play nice with all of the children."

"And if anyone gives you any grief, get their parents names, and we'll take care of it," Chuck told his daughter as she threw her arms around his shoulders.

"Okay, Daddy," Charlotte giggled. She released her father and then hugged her mother as Arthur opened the limo door and helped Charlotte out.

"We love you, Sweetheart," Blair called from the limo as Charlotte bounced towards the door where the headmistress was warmly greeting all of the young children. Charlotte stopped and turned to wave at her parents before she made her way inside.

Chuck turned to his wife and began chuckling. "Are those tears, Beautiful?"

"Yes," Blair choked out as she wiped a few tears off her cheeks.

Chuck shifted in the limo so that he was sitting next to her as he put his arms around her waist to pull her into his lap to comfort her.

"These children are growing too fast," Blair announced as she looked to Brice who was happily playing with Barty, almost completely oblivious to his mother's emotional meltdown. "It feels like it was just yesterday that we held Charlotte in our arms for the first time. Now she's in kindergarten."

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Chuck assured his wife as he kissed her softly, "She's always going to be our little girl."

"Can we go to the park yet?" Brice inquired as Barty began licking his face.

Chuck lowered the glass partition. "Two rules for today Arthur. Number one, we need to be back in time to pick up Charlotte as school ends. Number two, we do whatever Brice wants."

"Central Park, Arthur," Brice told Arthur as he jumped up and down on the leather seat with excitement. He'd never had a day all to himself before. Even when Charlotte was in pre-school, it was only for half a day. He could barely contain his enthusiasm.

"As you wish, Young Mister Bass," Arthur chuckled.

As soon as they got to the park, Chuck had to hold Barty back as Blair fought to hang onto Brice. Barty was reacting more to Brice's excitement than misbehaving. Arthur followed them with the picnic basket and other supplies that they had stopped for along the way. When they had settled on a suitable spot, Arthur disappeared as Blair set up the picnic while Brice began playing Frisbee with Barty.

Barty and Brice ran around the park nearly all morning and afternoon while Blair and Chuck looked on.

"He is an endless well of energy just like his daddy," Blair observed as she fed her husband a grape.

"A chip off the old block," Chuck agreed proudly.

Brice came over suddenly, desperately needing a drink of water for both himself and his puppy. Sweat was dripping down his forehead, and the mess of hair on top of his head was nearly soaked all the way through.

"Slow down, Little Man," Chuck told his son as he watched him chug the bottle of water as Barty lapped at the dish of water Blair set out for him.

"Why don't you and Barty have a little bit of a rest and something to eat," Blair suggested as she handed him a sandwich. Brice snatched it out of her hand and began munching eagerly as sweat began dripping into his eyes causing them to tear.

"Come here, Sweetheart," Blair told him as she reached into the basket and pulled out a cloth napkin as he scrambled towards her on his knees. She proceeded to wipe him down thoroughly. "Chuck, will you call your stylist and schedule an appointment for both you and your son."

"Yes, Dear," he responded sarcastically as he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts and did as she requested.

After a bit of rest, Brice and Barty were ready to go once more, and Brice was insistent upon his dad join him this time. Never one to turn down either of his children, Chuck eagerly joined in on the game of fetch that Barty and Brice were now playing with the baseball.

"Brice, sweetheart, don't you want to go see the animals?" Blair inquired as they kept up the games with Barty for the rest of the afternoon. She was not used to going to Central Park without seeing the animals.

"Nope," Brice responded. She shook her head in amusement. Their child had everything his heart desired. Money was no object for him. He could do whatever he wanted today without limits and all he wanted to do was spend the day at the park with his dog. She had a sneaking suspicion that his parents joining him had been optional.

"Okay, boys, it's nearly time to pick up Charlotte," Blair announced as she began packing up the picnic. "Brice, get Barty back on his leash."

"Do I have to?" Brice whined as Blair handed it to him.

"Yes," she nodded as she gave him a stern look.

"Dad, do I have to?" Brice inquired as he looked to his father in the hopes that he would overrule his mother.

"You heard your mother," Chuck backed up his wife as he always did. There was no playing one parent off the other in their home. Chuck and Blair simply did not allow themselves to be manipulated by their children. Having been the masters of manipulation themselves as children, they knew the warning signs. Punishments had always been severe whenever either child tried. "Put Barty on his leash right now."

"Sorry, Barty," Brice mumbled as he roped his dog as he was told and then handed the leash to Chuck. Barty promptly licked Brice's face in response as if to tell him it was okay to be on his leash. Brice was knocked off his feet as Barty jumped over him, barking in excitement. Brice was laughing as his father pulled Barty away.

"Come on, Little Man, it's time to get your sister from school," Chuck told his son.

"Can't we leave her there?" he whined as he followed along a few steps behind his parents who were loaded down with their picnic supplies while trying to hold each other's hands and rein in a six month old puppy with very little obedience training.

"No, we can not leave Charlotte at school," his father laughed. "You'd miss her too much."

No, I wouldn't," Brice insisted as he moped along, dragging his feet so that he slowed them all down.

"Don't you want to see your big sister?" Blair inquired as she fell back a couple of steps so she was walking with her son while speeding him up.

"No," Brice shook his head. Chuck couldn't help but snicker. It was an expected response for a sibling, and one that both he and Blair had missed out on.

"I'm sure she wants to see you," Blair told him as she took his hand as they approached their limo. Arthur was out of the car quickly to unload Blair of her belongings before he helped Chuck.

"No, she doesn't," Brice pouted.

"Well, Daddy and I want to see Charlotte," Blair insisted as she ushered her son into the vehicle. Brice pouted all the way to Charlotte's school as Barty was curled up next to him and promptly fell asleep. It was obvious that their toddler son had worn out his puppy that afternoon.

Chuck was the first person Charlotte saw when she stepped out of her school that afternoon. She immediately sprinted towards him and jumped into his arms.

"Hello, Sweetheart, how was your first day of kindergarten?" Chuck inquired as her arms came around his neck as she held him close.

Charlotte began to ramble on about all the fun things she did that day while Brice pouted. He was so jealous that his sister had learned something new during her day that he didn't know. What was worse was that after an entire day of having his parents' undivided attention that now went to his sister.

"Are you feeling okay, Brice?" Blair inquired as she turned to see Brice's shoulders slumped over as his bottom lip was protruding out. Brice nodded as he continued looking towards the limo floor. She reached out and pulled him into her lap as she kissed his salty forehead. The sweat from earlier still covered his skin. He was going to need a bath when they arrived home.

Showing that Brice truly took after his father, when they returned to the penthouse, Brice and his puppy disappeared into his bedroom, barely saying more than a few words for the rest of the afternoon.

Chuck thought about following his son to find out what was wrong, but Charlotte called out to him, eager to show him a picture she drew during arts and crafts.

**TBC. . .**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Chuck, will you go retrieve your son? Get him cleaned up for dinner," Blair requested as Dorota informed her that dinner was ready for the evening. She was helping Charlotte with her first evening of homework.

Chuck couldn't help but think they started children with homework far too early these days. He had been reading through one of several business proposals for a board meeting in a few days. He nodded as he made a familiar path to his son's room.

"Brice Nathaniel Waldorf-Bass, what have you done to your room!" Chuck exploded as he observed the chaos that his son had created in the few hours that he had to make a mess. He'd never seen such destruction before. The mattress of his bed had been stripped of its designer sheets. The sheets were thrown haphazardly across the room. The mattress itself had been tipped up on its side against one wall. Most of the toys in his closet had been thrown around the room. Barty, was sitting in one corner with one of Chuck's favorite loafers in his mouth, chewing happily.

Blair was off her chair and scrambled towards her son's room the moment she heard her husband explosive remark. Her eyes went wide as she skidded to a stop at the sight as Brice scrambled behind her as if he needed protection from his father. "Oh my goodness," was her only comment as she looked around the room.

"Why did you do this?" Chuck inquired as he knelt down and pulled his son away from his mother with a firm but gentle grip. He was angry, but he'd never take that out on his son.

Brice merely shrugged his shoulders.

"That's not an answer, Brice," Chuck told his son as he looked his son deep into the eyes. "I need an answer. Why did you destroy your room?"

Brice shrugged his shoulders yet again as tears built up in his eyes. Chuck caved immediately. He didn't do well with genuine tears. It had started with Blair, moved on to Charlotte, and now Brice. Any time any of them shed the realest of tears, anything Chuck was requesting or demanding stopped.

"After dinner, you are cleaning this up. Then you're going to take a bath and going straight to bed," Chuck told his son. "And Barty will be sleeping in my office tonight."

"But Dad," Brice whined.

"Not another word about it," Chuck insisted. "You do naughty things. You will be punished."

"But Dad," Brice whined yet again.

"Go wash your hands for dinner," Chuck told his son as he went to retrieve his loafer from Barty. Luckily he had another pair, as the one now in his hand was now nothing more than a chew toy.

Brice tore out of the room with Barty hot on his heels, tears flowing freely.

"How did we not hear this?" Chuck inquired as he continued to look around the room as he picked up Brice's teddy bear off the floor and dusted it off. It was the same bear that Blair had given Chuck during their first Christmas together so many years earlier. It was the first teddy bear he had ever been given, and he had given it to his son upon his first Christmas. It was Brice's favorite toy, the one he slept with every night.

"I don't know," Blair replied as she put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"He's never done anything like this before," Chuck stated as he pulled her into his arms. "He's acting out, and I don't know what the cause of it was."

"We'll figure it out," she assured him as she melted into his embrace. "Let's go have dinner. Afterwards, we'll keep an eye on Brice as he cleans his room."

"How the hell did he lift this mattress?" Chuck inquired as he looked to the full size mattress propped up against the wall.

"I don't know," she replied as she rubbed his back as she gently nudged him out of the room. He was getting more and more upset with ever moment that he spent in the destruction. "Let's just get Brice through the night, and we'll start trying to fix this in the morning."

Chuck nodded as Brice blasted past them from the bathroom to the dining room where Charlotte was waiting patiently for them. She knew enough to stay away when her father exploded in anger. It was so rare it happened that she knew her brother was in serious trouble. Daddy never used that voice except in the most extreme situations.

Dinner was quiet. Brice mostly pushed his food around the plate as he kept his head down. Charlotte, the usual chatterbox at the table, curiously was not in a talkative mood. Blair tried to engage both Chuck and the equally brooding Brice, with no success. Usually she relished the fact that Brice was the spitting image of her husband, but not at moments like this.

"Okay, Little Man, time to clean your room," Chuck told his son as they finished their dinner. Brice hopped down out of his chair and stomped towards his bedroom with Chuck at his heels.

Brice mumbled under his breath the entire time it took him to get his room back to the way it normally was. As Chuck had expected, Brice had problems returning his mattress back to the box spring, so he assisted him. That was the only help however that he gave his son.

"Now, go get your bath started," Chuck told his son once his room was relatively put back together. "I'll be in to check on you in a few minutes."

"Can Barty come with me? He needs a bath too." Brice asked.

"Not tonight," Chuck told him, "Your mother and I will take care of him."

"But Dad," Brice whined, "He's my puppy. I'm supposed to take care of him."

"Your mother and I will take over for one night," he assured him in a firm voice. "Bath, now."

Brice continued to mumble under his breath as he disappeared into his bathroom as Chuck finished straightening what his young son couldn't. Moments later he went to check on his son to find him in the tub covered in soap from head to toe. It brought a smile to his face. After rinsing him clean, Chuck held out a towel and dried his son off and carried him back into the bedroom to get him dressed for bed.

"Dad, do you still love me?" Brice inquired as he crawled into bed. His eyes were wide and fearful. It nearly brought tears to his father's eyes to see the doubt on his son's face. It brought back such painful memories of when he was a child.

"You listen to me, and you listen good," Chuck told his son as he knelt next to his bed as he pulled the covers over his son's shoulder. "There is nothing you could ever do that could make me love you less than I do. I love you, and your sister, and your mother so much. You are everything thing to me."

"I love you, Dad," Brice stated as he sat up and hugged his father tight. Chuck held him tight for several moments.

"What story do you want read tonight?" Chuck inquired as he looked to the bookcase next to his son's bed as he discreetly brushed tears out of his eyes.

"The Jungle Book," Brice told him. Chuck had started reading the story to him a few nights earlier. Chuck nodded as he pulled out the book and found where they had left off the previous evening.

Blair came in to check on them after three chapters. Brice was nearly asleep but trying valiantly to keep his eyes open so he could hear more of the story. She kissed his forehead as she sat down next to Chuck as he finished the final chapter for the night.

"Good night, Little Man. I love you," Chuck told his son as they left his room, turning out the lights and closing the door so that Barty wouldn't get tempted to join him.

"You okay?" Blair inquired as he slumped against Brice's door.

"He doubted if I still loved him," Chuck told her as tears formed in his eyes. "I was that little boy for most of my life. I know how scary that feeling is. I swore to myself that my children would never doubt how much I loved them for a single minute. Here he is, three years old and doubting that very thing."

"He's reacting to the trouble he was in," she assured him as she rubbed his chest gently. "He's never been in trouble like this before. He doesn't understand this anger from you. He knows you love him."

"And what is this all about?" Chuck inquired as he slumped down to the floor. His emotions were sapping any energy that he had to hold himself upright, "He destroyed his room. I don't understand why he did that. He had so much fun in the park with Barty."

"He had a great day until we left to pick up Charlotte," Blair told him.

"Did we ignore him when we went to get her?" he tried to recall. "Did we do or say something that implied that we favored her over him?"

"I don't think so," Blair replied, "But whatever it was, it cannot happen again. We'll need to get to the bottom of it."

"Charlotte needs to start getting ready for bed," Chuck realized as he found a little strength to pick himself off the floor, "Will you take care of her? Barty needs a bath and then somehow we have to convince him to sleep in the office instead of his usual spot on Brice's bed."

"Good luck with that," Blair told him as she patted his chest before she found her daughter in her room playing with her dolls.

**TBC. . .**

**Short chapter, I know, but I'd appreciate a review anyways. Thanks in advance.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

It was late in the evening when there was a faint knock on Blair and Chuck's bedroom door. They were both asleep. Blair, being the sound sleeper hadn't heard it, but Chuck, who always heard everything, did. When he sat up, Blair stirred next to him.

"What is it?" Blair mumbled as she rubbed her eyes before she reached out to caress his bare back.

"One of our children is at the door," Chuck told her with a gentle kiss to her forehead as he tossed her the negligee that he had removed earlier that evening. He pulled on his pajama pants. He had wanted to make love that evening, craving her warmth and comfort, going as far as removing their clothes but the energy expended worrying about Brice had zapped him of his necessary strength. Instead Blair held him close as she waited for him to fall asleep. It was a total reversal of their usual nightly routine. Chuck always waited for Blair to fall asleep before he even attempted it himself.

Blair was still pulling her nightgown over her head when Chuck opened the door to see Brice on the other side with his teddy bear under his arms.

"Daddy," Brice wailed as he threw his arms around Chuck's leg, holding on tight until Chuck bent down to pick him up.

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked as he rocked him back and forth as Brice stuck him thumb into his mouth. "Bad dream?" Chuck felt him nod against him. "Do you want Mommy to sleep with you for awhile?" That was the standard question to ask. Whenever either child had a bad dream, it was Mommy that soothed them back to sleep. Brice shook his head. "Daddy?" he inquired with slight surprise in his voice. Brice nodded vigorously.

Blair smiled at him warmly as he disappeared as Brice's head came to a rest against Chuck's shoulder as he fell back to sleep.

Chuck laid his son out in his bed and then climbed in with him. Brice instantly curled into his father as Blair tended to do. Before Chuck could take a few deep breaths, Brice heavy breathing was heard as he fell into a deeper sleep, his thumb still stuck in his mouth. Chuck's heart ached at the sight. Chuck stroked his son's back rhythmically for the next hour before he finally found sleep himself.

* * *

Chuck came into the dining room the next morning for breakfast with bags under his eyes. Sleeping with Brice was never as peaceful as sleeping with his wife. Brice was so much like himself when he was younger in that he tossed and turned and flailed about in his sleep. Chuck took several kicks to the ribs throughout the night, and that was on top of his son using him as some sort of human jungle gym as he climbed all over him.

Blair nearly burst out laughing as he bent down to kiss her good morning. Charlotte was happily eating her breakfast. Brice bounced in moments later with his puppy nipping at his heals. Dorota had just returned from taking Barty for a quick walk to take care of his morning business. He'd get a longer walk after Brice was dressed and ready for the day.

"Brice, Sweetheart, did you sleep okay with Daddy last night?" Blair inquired as she poured him a glass of juice as he climbed into his chair.

Brice merely nodded as he continued munching on his breakfast.

Charlotte took her cue and began talking animatedly about the day that was ahead of her, filling the silence in the room without missing a beat.

"Charlotte, go get your school bag. You and I are taking the limo to school," Blair announced.

"What about Daddy?" Charlotte inquired as she looked at her overly tired father as he tried to wake himself with a stronger than normal cup of espresso.

"It's just me this morning," Blair told her, "Daddy and Brice have to get ready for their hair cuts today."

Charlotte pouted as she got off her chair, mumbling under her breath about how unfair it was that her father couldn't take her to school.

Chuck gave his wife a guilty look. Blair rubbed his hand in assurance. He was really beating himself down about his parenting skills, and she hated how hard he was being on himself. She knew he was a wonderful father. Despite their current problem, she knew both children idolized him. While he may doubt that they had the ability to solve their latest parenting crisis, she knew better.

When Brice had finished his breakfast, Blair told him to start getting ready. Chuck's usually poised posture slumped as soon as he was alone with Blair. He was beyond tired and emotionally drained.

"How tired are you?" Blair inquired as she stood from her chair and went to sit in his lap.

"He is most definitely my son," he chuckled quickly as his forehead fell against her shoulder as he closed his eyes. His arms came around her waist instantly. "That kid didn't stop moving all night long."

"I'm sorry," Blair responded as she ran her fingers through his hair. While he didn't require a haircut as desperately as their son, he most definitely would benefit from their morning pains. "If it's any consolation, I didn't sleep well last night either. I missed you, especially this morning."

"I missed you more," he told her as he kissed his wife softly. He knew Charlotte was bound to come ambling back at any moment, so he couldn't kiss her with the fire he had wanted to. "I hope these children appreciate the sacrifices we make for them."

As expected, Charlotte came skipping into the room to see her parents wrapped in each other's embrace. There was a slight roll of her eyes she asked if her mother was ready to leave as she watched her parents detangle themselves from each other.

"Do I get a hug?" Chuck inquired as he held out his arms expectantly. She gave a mischievous look like she considered rejecting him. His heart stopped for a moment at the thought before she charged forward into his arms. "Have a good day, Charlotte. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy," Charlotte responded as she kissed his cheek before she turned and took her mother's outstretched hand. Brice walked in just as they were leaving. He hugged his mother and wished his sister a good day.

"Let's take Barty for a walk," Chuck suggested as he ruffled his son's hair. Brice quickly dashed away to find Barty's leash with a bright smile on his face.

* * *

"Brice, do you want to tell me why you messed up your room last night?" Chuck inquired as he pulled his son to a nearby bench after walking quietly through the park for several minutes. It was going to be a warm fall day, but the rising sun at yet to warm up the city. While he was usually a quiet child, today his son took it to a whole new level that worried his father. Charlotte was so much like her mother. When she was unhappy, like her mother, he knew when and why. Brice was the total opposite, much like him. He was very much the brooder.

"I don't know," he shrugged as he began rubbing Barty's ears to avoid having the conversation.

"Brice, I love you. I hope you know that," Chuck started as he pulled Barty of our Brice's reach so his son would have to listen to him. "Nothing that you do or say is going to change that." He took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. "I know I've told you happy stories that I have about your grandfather, Bart. I know those stories are the reason you named your puppy after him, and I want you to have that wonderful vision of him. The truth is, those few stories are the only good memories I have of him. After my mother, Evelyn, died, your grandfather closed himself off to me. I don't remember a time that he ever told me that he loved me or that he was proud of me. While I know you don't understand what that means, it hurt . . . a lot. He wasn't around. He ignored me when he was. I started doing things that angered my father to get his attention. For awhile it worked, but then one day he decided he'd had enough. From that day on, I was virtually on my own until I fell in love with your mother."

Brice looked at him wide eyed.

"I know this is a lot for a three year old to understand and comprehend, but let's face it . . . you are no ordinary three year old. You give your five year old sister a run for her money, and she's always the brightest student in her class," Chuck told his son. "My point is, you can continue to ransack your room, and I will continue to make you pick it up. I will never have enough because I am your father."

"Do you miss your daddy?" Brice inquired.

"Everyday," Chuck told him as he rubbed at his tired eyes., "For the longest time, it hurt so much that I wouldn't allow myself to even think about him. That changed when I became a father myself. Your mother made me face my demons. I'm a better person and a better father for it."

"I love you, Daddy," Brice stated as he rose up and hugged his father.

"I love you," Chuck stated as he kissed his son's forehead. Barty appeared to have enough of the emotional conversation and began pulling on his leash. "We better get Barty home. Your mother should be back with the limo, and you and I need that hair cut."

"Can Mommy come with us?" Brice inquired as they made their way from the park back to their building.

"You'll have to ask her," Chuck told his son. He was pretty sure that Blair would agree. She could deny her son just as much as he could deny Charlotte, which was nothing.

"Mommy, will you come with me and Daddy to get our hairs cut?" Brice inquired eagerly when they returned from their walk in the park.

"Chuck, go look at your son's room," Blair told him as she looked at Brice sternly. The cheerful smile on her son's face was completely erased as she continued to stare him down.

A sense of dread sunk into the pit of Chuck's stomach as he looked at Brice who had tears in his eyes.

Brice's room was tore up once again, almost as much as it was the previous evening. Chuck took a deep breath as his son hugged his leg. He kept telling himself that he wasn't going to get angry. This was done before their talk.

"When we get back from getting our hair cut, you are cleaning this up. Then you are going to be given a time out. There will also be no walks in the park with Barty for the rest of the week. Each time you do this, another week without Barty will be added," Chuck told his son. "Do you understand?"

Brice nodded as he continued to hold tight to Chuck's leg.

Blair was stunned by Chuck's punishment. Not so much the actual punishment itself, as he was just as quick to scolded their children when they needed it as she was, but it was more the calmness in which he delivered it. Chuck had an explosive temper. She'd seen it with her own eyes throughout the years. It was rare when it blew these days, but it was still there and she assumed seeing their son trash his room for the second time in less than twelve hours would push him beyond his control.

"I'm doing this because I love you, Brice," Chuck told his son as he picked him up. "You have to learn there are consequences for your actions."

"I love you, Daddy," Brice responded as he threw his arms tight around Chuck's neck.

"Let's go," Chuck told him as he reached out for Blair's hand.

**What do you think? Is this worth the read?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"What is going on with our son?" Chuck pondered as they prepared themselves for bed that evening. While he was better behaved after they had returned from getting their haircut, cleaning his room as they had asked, sitting quietly in the corner for the prescribed timeout, all bets were off when Charlotte came home from school.

Brice promptly tripped her as she went into her room to change out of her school uniform causing her to skin her knee and shed many tears, and then he pinched her several times while they were eating dinner. Chuck and Blair had to step in and referee when Charlotte had decided to finally defend herself and slapped her brother. Both children spent the rest of the night in their bedrooms as punishment.

"Charlotte had no right to slap him," Blair responded.

"I'm not saying she did, but our son is out of control," Chuck responded, "You and I need to get to the bottom of this, and quick."

"Let's start with when all of this started," she recommended as he climbed into bed next to her.

"It started on Charlotte's first day of school," he replied. "Isn't it obvious that he's jealous of her."

"I think you're forgetting something. This started the night before when he heard us arguing," she contradicted him.

He had forgotten all about their argument. He suddenly remembered that he needed to make a doctor's appointment to discuss the vasectomy they had agreed upon.

"Do you think he's doing this because he's afraid I'm leaving?" he inquired as she began caressing his chest.

"Think about this," she told him, "Since he's been acting out, you and I haven't argued once. We've been so focused on him that we haven't paid any attention to our relationship."

"We also haven't found the time to make love," he told her as he felt the familiar lust begin to build as she scratched his chest lightly. They hadn't made love since making up after their argument, which was like an eternity for each of them.

"You noticed," she sighed in relief.

"We go hours between making love, not days, and when we haven't made love in forty-eight of them, yes, I notice," he groaned as she began nipping at his chest with her lips.

Suddenly a knock at the door interrupted them.

"That's three nights in a row," Chuck groaned. He didn't have to open the door to know that Brice was other side. "He should know better than this."

"Go see what he wants," she encouraged him as she gave him a gently nudge.

"Brice, you're supposed to be in bed," Chuck told his son as he knelt down in front of him after he opened the door to confirm his suspicions that it was his son that interrupted.

"I can't sleep," he pouted as his arms went around Chuck's shoulders after he dropped his teddy bear. Chuck hadn't read to him that evening as punishment for his earlier abuse of his sister, but it appeared that he was only punishing himself now. "Can I sleep with you and Mommy?"

"You know the answer to that question," Chuck responded with a firm but gentle voice. "You have your own bed, and you need to sleep in it . . . by yourself tonight."

"But Dad," he whined.

"No buts tonight," Chuck told him with a shake of his head, "Mommy and I need to have our bed time too."

"Please," Brice whined as he drug the words out for far more syllables that it actually had.

"Bed, now," Chuck told him sternly.

Tears welled in Brice's eyes at Chuck's refusal.

"I'll tuck you in," Chuck compromised as he picked up his son and the teddy bear in his arms, "Come on."

"Mommy, hug," Brice replied as he tried to turn his father around so that he could hug his mother. Chuck conceded to what appeared to be a simple request and brought him over and lowered him to their bed. Brice bounced up and down and he made his way towards Blair, plopping himself down in his mother's arms as she hugged him tight. "Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight?" Brice inquired as he looked up at his mother with his big brown puppy dog eyes.

"Brice Nathaniel, you know better than that," Blair told him gently, "You already have your answer from Daddy."

"Please," Brice whined in the same way he had with Chuck earlier.

Blair didn't answer him. She merely gave him a stern look as she lifted him to his feet as Chuck lifted him from his bed. Brice was kicking and screaming as Chuck carrying him to the door.

"I hate you," Brice exclaimed as he shoved Chuck away, snatched up his teddy bear from Chuck's hands, and dashed towards his bedroom as fast as his feet could carry him.

Chuck's jaw dropped at the proclamation as he turned to look at Blair who had an equally stunned look on her face. Tears began building in his eyes as Blair slid out of bed quickly to hold him. Chuck's legs nearly gave out as the words his son yelled out fully hit him. Blair struggled to get him to the bed. She knew he was living his worst nightmare.

Blair was torn as to how to proceed. She knew Chuck needed her in that moment, but she was desperate to go to Brice and find out what had possessed him to use such a hateful expression towards his father. They taught their children better than that.

"Chuck, I should go talk to Brice," she spoke softly as he clung to her. She felt him nod against her shoulder as he released her. "Will you be okay while I'm gone?" He nodded slowly again as she rose to her feet. She kissed him softly before she turned to leave the room. "He didn't mean it," she reminded him as she stepped out.

"Brice, that was a very mean thing to say to daddy," Blair stated as she found Brice sitting on his bed crying into his teddy bear.

"Daddy was being mean," Brice pouted as he hugged his teddy bear tighter.

"That is no excuse," Blair responded as she sat down next to him, "Daddy was just enforcing the rule that you know very well. Brice, you are acting like a spoiled little brat. Trashing your room, tormenting your sister, having fits when you don't get your way. That is not the way we are raising you. What is more important is that this is not like you. You are a very well behaved little man. Why are you doing all of this?"

Brice shrugged his shoulders as he avoided looking at his mother.

"A shrug is not going to work this time," Blair insisted. "You need to give me an answer. Why did you tear apart your bedroom? Why did you trip and pinch your sister? Why did you throw a tantrum when we told you to sleep in your own bed? Are you mad at me and Daddy? Do you think we have been ignoring you?"

He shook his head.

"Brice, I love you, and I love that you are so much like your father on most days, but this silent brooder gene that you inherited from him is wearing on my nerves. I need an answer, right now," she demanded. Brice flinched at the tone of her voice.

"I don't want you or Daddy to leave," Brice wailed as he threw his arms around his mother's shoulders.

"Where are you getting this idea that Daddy or I are leaving?" Blair inquired as she rubbed his back soothingly.

"You argued," Brice replied, "Really loud."

"Grown ups like me and Daddy argue," she told him. "Yes we were loud, and we're both very sorry that we woke you, but that doesn't mean that either of us are leaving. Daddy and I love each other very much. We could not be happy without each other in our lives."

"You yelled at each other," he stated.

"Yes we did," she conceded, "Your daddy and I have been doing that since we were Charlotte's age. Sometimes we just need to get it out. It may not sound like it, but daddy and I arguing is a good thing."

"When Charlotte and I yell at each other we get time outs," Brice replied.

"Because your yelling usually involves pinching or pushing," Blair explained.

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Brice responded as he hugged her tight yet again.

"You need to go apologize to Daddy," she told him, "Your words hurt him more than me. Brice, you need to learn that words can hurt people, even me and Daddy. Don't ever say that you hate him because it's not true and it never could be."

Brice climbed off her lap and sprinted out of the room, making a sharp left as he headed towards his parents' bedroom. He immediately jumped into his father's arms and hugged him tight.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Brice apologized as he kissed his father's cheek as he tightened his arms around his father's neck. "I don't hate you."

Blair arrived in time to see Chuck's posture relax as the relief washed over him.

"I love you, Brice," Chuck told his son as his eyes connected with Blair's to give her a silent thank you for whatever she had said to their son to have him retract his hurtful statement from earlier.

"I love you, Daddy," Brice replied as Blair approached them. She rubbed Brice's back as she sat next to her husband and put her arm around his waist. Chuck leaned into her embrace as he continued to hold Brice tight. Soon he realized that his son had fallen asleep.

"Go put him to bed," Blair encouraged him.

Chuck was back after a few minutes and was quickly pulled towards the bed.

"Thank you for whatever you said to our son," Chuck told her as she climbed over him as she began nibbling at his chest.

"He thinks one of us is leaving," she replied as she explained the peculiar behavior they had been witnessing from their son over the passed few days, "I set him straight."

"Is that why he's been acting out?" Chuck inquired as his hands fisted in her hair as she continued to peck away at his chest. She nodded against him, but didn't look up as she continued to seduce him. She knew it wasn't going to take much. It had been a long and draining few days for the two of them. Chuck suddenly approached his breaking point and spun her underneath him, lifting up her negligee just enough to reveal her abdomen, which he promptly assaulted.

"Foreplay is so unnecessary, Bass," Blair hissed as his tongue dipped into her belly button.

"Patience, my beautiful bride," he smirked.

"Patience isn't in my vocabulary right now," she growled, "It's been two whole days. Make love to me right now."

"So demanding," he chuckled as he lifted her gown over her head and threw it haphazardly to the floor. "That's such a turn on."

"Everything is a turn on with you," she teased as she reached down to remove the silk pajama pants he was wearing.

"Everything about you is a turn on," he amended as his eyes racked across her body, taking in every glorious inch. "You are so beautiful."

"Enough talk, Bass," she demanded as she pulled him to her so that his familiar weight was resting comfortably against her. "I can't take it anymore."

Just as the words were out of her mouth, he slid into her. He watched as her eyes rolled back into her head as the pleasure washed over them. He was convinced that there was no better feeling in the world than making love to his wife. Their dance was familiar, comfortable even, but never boring. Neither would settle for that.

**I kept this mild as to keep the rating the same, but if anyone thinks it should be changed, please let me know.**

**Reviews are strongly encouraged, as they keep the creative juices flowing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

Chuck woke up early the next morning and carefully slipped out of bed so as to not disturb his sleeping wife. She had to be exhausted as they had spent much of the night making up for the missed few days they had without each other.

Upon finding his bathrobe, he went to check on his children. Charlotte was sleeping soundly with one of her many dolls. Brice was lying in bed clutching his teddy bear tightly, although he was wide-awake. When the door to his bedroom opened, he tried to pretend that he was asleep, but Chuck saw through his ruse.

"You should be sleeping," Chuck told him softly as he went to sit next to him on his bed, running his fingers through the newly sheared hair of his son.

"I miss Barty," Brice pouted as his eyes sprung open.

"And I know he misses you," Chuck told him, speaking from the fact that he heard Barty whining inside his office not a few moments earlier, "But you need to learn there are consequences to your actions. You can play with him when you get up."

Brice sat up and motioned to get out of his bed.

"Not yet, Little Man," Chuck held him to the bed. "Charlotte and Mommy are still sleeping. We can't have Barty barking and waking everyone up."

"Please," Brice asked hopefully as he gave his father his puppy dog eyes. He knew his father was a sucker for the look.

"That's a nice try," he chuckled as he saw through his son's attempt. He knew the different between a genuine puppy dog look and a forced one.

"I can't sleep," Brice whined.

"I'll lay with you," Chuck offered.

Brice scooted over and allowed Chuck to climb in. He had no intention of falling back to sleep, but his son's rhythmic breathing lulled him into a slumber. Before he knew it, Blair was hovering over him as she gently shook him awake.

"What a beautiful sight to wake up to?" Chuck grinned as he stretched out. Brice snuggled in against him further.

"What an adorable sight to find," Blair responded as she bent down to kiss his forehead.

"A little lower please," Chuck requested as he tapped his lips with his forefinger. Blair grinned before she gave in to his request. "Is Charlotte awake?"

"Awake and getting ready for school," Blair nodded. "How did you end up here?"

"I woke up early and checked on the children. Brice was wide-awake and couldn't go back to sleep," Chuck explained. "I don't know that he got much sleep last night. His eyes looked a little blood shot."

"Do we need to rethink Barty's sleeping arrangements?" she pondered.

"We might," he nodded as he tried to detangle himself from his son's limbs. With each movement he made, Brice snuggled in closer. Blair was snickered as she watched the wrestling match. "A little help, please."

Blair lent a hand and allowed Chuck to rise up. He promptly pulled her into his body and kissed her soundly. A slight moan escaped her lips at his surprising action before she relaxed into his embrace.

"Dorota is taking Barty for his morning walk," Blair told him as she pulled away.

"We'll let him snuggle in with Brice," Chuck added, "He needs to sleep."

"Do you want to stay with Brice or take Charlotte to school," Blair inquired as they began to sway back and forth in each other's arms.

"You took her yesterday," Chuck shook his head, "It's my turn."

"You better start getting ready then," she told him as she turned him toward the bedroom door and patted his butt.

"Careful, Waldorf," he stared her down, "I have no problem dragging you into the shower with me."

"Don't tempt me," she teased as she turned to take her husband's place next to their son. He was already fidgeting and looked to be on the verge of waking up. He needed a warm body to sleep next to, and without Barty nearby, Blair was the only substitute available.

* * *

"Good morning, Princess," Chuck greeted Charlotte as she bounced into the room for breakfast that morning. It was clear that her enthusiasm for school had not diminished after two full days. She was as eager to get going that morning as she was her first morning of school.

"Morning, Daddy," she responded cheerfully as she went over to hug him before she took her seat at the table. "Where's Mommy?"

"Sleeping with Brice," Chuck told her, "I'll be taking you to school this morning. Is that okay?"

She nodded as she began eating her cranberry muffin. In between bites, she filled the room with her usual chatter. Chuck loved to listen to her talk. She was so animated with her stories, some fictional, some real. Everyday he became more and more convinced that she was going to become an actress, hopefully on the Broadway stage so that she would still be close enough to her parents.

"Daddy, are you and Mommy getting a divorce?" Charlotte shocked him out of his happy daydream.

"Where are the two of you getting this?" he inquired as he looked at his daughter in disbelief, "First your brother; now you. Mommy and I are in no way unhappy our relationship. I know we live in the dysfunction of the Upper East Side, where divorce and unhappy relationships are more normal than what your mother and I have, but your mother and I are just fine. Mommy and I are not getting a divorce. Neither one of us is leaving. We love each other, and we love you and Brice."

"Brice said you were yelling at each other," Charlotte replied.

"All mommies and daddies argue, even when they are as happy and in love as your mother and I are. Your mother and I have the same type of personality, which makes it impossible for us to get along all of the time. We are strong, stubborn, and at times pig-headed, but no matter what we argue about, we never let it affect our relationship," he explained.

Charlotte nodded as she finished her breakfast.

"Go get your backpack, Princess," Chuck told her as she slid out of her chair. "I'm going to check on Mommy and Brice, and then we'll leave for school."

Charlotte nodded as she skipped out of the room.

"Make sure you pack your homework," Chuck called out to her as he rose off his own chair and made his way to his son's room to look in on Brice and Blair. Blair had managed to fall asleep next to Brice, who was curled into her. The pair looked absolutely adorable.

As he bent over to kiss his wife's forehead, she must have sensed his presence as her eyes opened as she smiled brightly up at him.

"Go back to sleep," he encouraged her as he kissed her cheek, "Charlotte and I are leaving for school. I'll be back soon."

"Give Charlotte a kiss for me," she requested.

"I will," he nodded as she caressed his newly shaven face gently. "I love you."

"I love you too," she mumbled as her hand fell from his face as she fell back to sleep.

He bent over and kissed her forehead softly before he leaned further over to kiss Brice's head.

"Alright, Princess, school awaits," Chuck told his daughter as he extended his hand to her as he guided her to the elevator and then the awaiting limo.

"Morning, Arthur," Charlotte greeted their driver cheerfully as he held the door open for her.

"Good morning, Miss Charlotte," Arthur grinned, "Ready for school?"

"Oh, yes," Charlotte confirmed as she eagerly climbed in.

"No Mrs. Bass or Young Mister Bass?" Arthur inquired of Chuck.

"Still sleeping," Chuck told him, "Brice didn't sleep well last evening. He was missing his puppy." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dorota entering the building with Barty on his leash leading the way. He quickly called out to halt her.

"Yes, Mister Chuck," Dorota stated as she approached the limo.

"Blair and Brice are still sleeping, so try and keep Barty quiet, please," Chuck requested.

"Yes, Mister Chuck," Dorota nodded.

"Bye, Dorota," Charlotte called out as she waved to her from inside the limo.

"Good bye, Miss Charlotte. Have good day at school," Dorota stated as she waved back.

"I'll be back shortly," Chuck told Dorota as Barty pulled on the leash to get Dorota's attention.

At Charlotte's school, Chuck walked her to her classroom at her request. It wasn't actually a request so much as a demand as she pulled him along eagerly.

"Daddy, this is Ms. Kendrick," Charlotte introduced her teacher to her father.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Chuck replied with his usual charming smile as he shook the pretty young woman's hand. Blair had met Charlotte's teacher before the school year started, but he had not as he was at Bass Industries on that day attending to business.

"Likewise, Mister Bass," Charlotte's teacher responded with a flirty smile. "You have an amazing little girl here. Everyone in her class adores her. She has natural leadership skills."

"She takes after her mother," Chuck nodded proudly.

"Would you like to stay and observe class for a little while?" Ms. Kendrick invited him. "You can observe Charlotte in action. She's a very smart child."

"Again she takes after her mother," Chuck replied as he ran his fingers through Charlotte's curls, each one perfectly curled by his daughter earlier that morning.

"Stay, Daddy," Charlotte asked eagerly as she hopped up and down in excitement.

"For a little while," he agreed. Charlotte did a happy little dance as she took off to join her new friends at one of the craft tables that had been set up earlier.

"She's such an adorable little girl," Ms. Kendrick stated as she followed Chuck's gaze which was squarely focused on his daughter. "She clearly adores you."

"She's an amazing little girl," Chuck agreed, "She's one of the three best things I've ever done in my life." The other two were of course having his son and marrying their mother.

"I have to start the class, but you can have a seat at my desk in the back of the classroom to observe," Ms. Kendrick stated. Chuck nodded as Ms. Kendrick called the class to order. Chuck happily watched as they started the class. Every question that Ms. Kendrick asked, Charlotte's hand shot up as she new the answer. He chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. This child was in every way a replica of her mother.

"Would you like to see a picture Charlotte drew yesterday?" Ms. Kendrick inquired as the children broke into groups to work on their math problems. He nodded as Ms. Kendrick set a piece of paper in front of him as she hovered over him, her hair cascading down to cover her shoulder and touching his as she brushed up against him with her breast pressed up against his back. Chuck immediately tensed at the obvious gesture.

"Can I speak to you in the hall for a moment?" Chuck requested tersely as he rose abruptly from her chair. The teacher nodded as she followed him out the door.

"Who do you think you are?" he growled once the door closed behind him, "I don't appreciate you hitting on me with a room full of your students only a few feet away."

"Well, they're a room away now, so how about I hit on you now," she replied seductively as she reached out to smooth out the fabric at his shoulder before she leaned in to kiss him.

Chuck quickly stepped away before her lips made contact. "I am a happily married man!" he exclaimed as he felt his temper flare. "Furthermore, you are my daughter's teacher which makes this highly inappropriate. I should go to the headmistress right now and report you."

"I'm sorry," she fumbled to get out, "I didn't know. I mean . . . I've heard stories about you. You're playboy ways are legendary. I thought . . ."

"No, you didn't think," he snarled as he cut her off, "If I want to live out my school teacher fantasies, I'll have my wife play the part. When I bring my daughter to school, I expect her teacher to focus on her and her learning."

"I'm sorry, Mister Bass, it won't happen again," she stammered out, "Please don't tell my boss."

"I'll leave that decision to my wife," Chuck responded, "Honestly, Ms. Kendrick, I would polish up that resume if I were you. Now, I'm going to go say goodbye to my daughter. I recommend you go back into that classroom and do what I and the other outrageously wealthy parents pay you and this school to do . . . teach our children. Do we understand each other?"

She nodded as tears welled in her eyes.

Chuck quickly said goodbye to Charlotte who was waiting patiently for the class to resume as she had finished all the problems she'd been assigned. A quick glance told him that she had them all correct. He gave one more cautionary glance towards Ms. Kendrick before he returned to the limo.

"Is everything okay, Mister Bass?" Arthur inquired as Chuck approached the limo with a sour expression on his face.

"No," Chuck growled, "Take me home now."

"Certainly," Arthur nodded. He knew from Chuck's tone of voice to not ask any more questions, and just do as he asked.

**How about a review if you enjoyed? Or a review if you didn't. Either way, I'd love to hear what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Is Blair still asleep?" Chuck inquired of Dorota as he charged out of the elevator. The short drive from the school to their building had done nothing to diminish the anger he felt from being hit on by Charlotte's teacher. He wasn't used to this kind of attention anymore. Everyone in their circles knew he was spoken for, and no one dared face Blair's wrath. He didn't know what the appropriate action was for this anymore.

"No, Mister Chuck, she is taking shower," Dorota replied nervously. Chuck's temper always had her frazzled on the rare occasion that he actually allowed it to boil over.

"Is Brice still asleep?" he asked.

"Yes, puppy is laying with him," Dorota nodded, "He is so cute curled up with his Barty."

"If he wakes, will you keep an eye on him. I need to speak to Blair," Chuck stated as he took off towards their bedroom without waiting for the housekeeper's response.

"There you are. I've been waiting anxiously for you to return. You took forever," Blair cooed as Chuck stormed into the bathroom, closing the door swiftly behind him before he backed her against the steamed up glass door of the shower that she had started, but had yet to enjoy. He planted a fiery kiss on her that left Blair shocked and weak in the knees. Her arms quickly came around his shoulders so she didn't fall to the floor as he kissed her senseless.

"I love you," he gasped as he attacked her neck as he lifted her off her feet while pressing her harder against the shower door.

Blair's sleepy mind struggled to keep up as he swiftly began removing their clothes. She knew something was wrong by his lack to speech. All she could do was hang on for the ride as he opened the shower door and stepped them both inside.

"Now that you have that out of your system, will you please tell me what happened at Charlotte's school this morning?" Blair inquired as she caught the anger in his eyes earlier that had seemed to diminish during their mind-blowing sex in the shower.

"Charlotte's teacher hit on me," he explained. The sex had most definitely been what he needed to calm him. He felt none of the rage he had only minutes earlier. In fact, he felt completely calm as he told her what happened. How quickly their roles reversed.

"WHAT!" Blair exploded as her anger quickly built up to match his from earlier. "How did that happen!"

"Charlotte wanted to show me her classroom and meet her teacher. Her teacher asked if I'd like to observe the class for a little while. When the children were broken out to work on math problems, she came up behind me, brushing herself up against me. When I confronted her outside the classroom, she full on came onto me, trying to kiss me," he explained.

"You reported her to the headmistress, didn't you," Blair snarled.

"I'm leaving that decision up to you," he replied as he held her close as the spray cascaded around them.

"Let me out of this shower right now," Blair demanded as she pushed roughly against his shoulder. That teacher was in desperate need of a new face. Blair entire body began turning crimson as the rage coursed through her. Never in all of her life had she wanted to hurt someone as much as she did at that moment.

"Calm down, Beautiful," he told her as he held onto her tight.

"Calm down," she hissed, "Our daughter's teacher hit on my husband. How am I supposed to calm down?"

"By remembering that she is our daughter's teacher," he told her calmly. "I'm just as unhappy about this as you are, believe me, but this is Charlotte's education that we are talking about."

"This is my husband that we are talking about," she replied as her territorial side kicked in. She needed to show that two-bit floozy who Chuck belonged to. She wanted to drag her husband back to the school, throw him against this teacher's desk and have her way with him while she looked on, after the children were dismissed for recess of course.

"And I can assure you that I rejected her," he stated.

"I cannot live with Charlotte being taught by a woman that hit on my husband," Blair hissed.

"What about Charlotte?" Chuck inquired, "What if she's as attached to this teacher as much as you were to your kindergarten teacher?"

"Mrs. Hamilton?" Blair prompted him as she looked at him with doe eyes.

"Exactly my point," Chuck told her. "It's been twenty years since she taught you, and you still remember her name. Ms. Kendrick might be that teacher for Charlotte."

"She's only been in her class for three days," Blair rolled her eyes, "She'll get attached to a new teacher."

"You know Charlotte," Chuck shook his head, "She gets attached to people quickly. She attached herself to the dry cleaning lady one day and was in tears for the rest of the afternoon after the lady had to finish the rest of her deliveries."

"I know," Blair sighed.

"Are you calm enough to leave the bathroom?" Chuck inquired as he released her legs. "I don't want Brice to hear us arguing again and begin tearing up his room once more."

"Agreed," she nodded as her feet touched the shower floor for the first time that morning, "But I make no promises, especially if I set my sights on this Ms. Kendrick."

"Then we'll need to stay in this shower until you can make that promise," he smirked as he lifted a suggestive eyebrow towards her.

"You up for it?" she inquired as she propped herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist once more.

"I'm Chuck Bass," he chuckled, "Of course, I'm up for it."

* * *

"Daddy, I don't like Ms. Kendrick. Can I go to a different school?" Charlotte inquired as she nearly dove into the limo on the verge of tears after school had ended for the day. Her emotions, as always, were on full display.

After a few heated discussions in their completely soundproof bathroom, Blair and Chuck had agreed to talk to Charlotte first before they decided how best to approach the situation with Ms. Kendrick. Apparently they had their answer already.

"What happened, Sweetheart?" Blair inquired as she pulled Charlotte into her laps as the tears finally began to fall.

"She kept saying that Daddy was a bully and that all he cared about his next piece of tail. She kept telling me that I was a spoiled rotten brat," Charlotte replied as Barty put his head in her lap to try and cheer her up. "What does she mean about his next piece of tail? Is she talking about Barty?"

"No, she doesn't mean Barty, and we'll explain it to you when you're older," Chuck told his daughter as he rolled down the glass partition. "Brice, Charlotte, you two are staying here with Arthur for a few minutes. Mommy and I need to have a talk with the headmistress. Charlotte, we promise to take care of this." Charlotte dried her eyes as she and Brice began playing with Barty as Chuck reached out to open the limo door.

He quickly pulled Blair out of the limo as they charged back into Charlotte's school.

To their surprised, there were other parents waiting to speak with the headmistress about the very same issue. Apparent Ms. Kendrick's comment was made in front of the entire kindergarten class, and the other equally confused children had asked their parents the same question about what Ms. Kendrick had meant by Chuck's search for his next piece of tail. They would not be the first to call for Ms. Kendrick's resignation.

"Mister and Mrs. Bass, I cannot tell you how sorry I am about what occurred today in your daughter's classroom. I will be speaking with Ms. Kendrick this afternoon and coaching her on appropriate classroom behavior," the headmistress assured them, having already been briefed by several of the parents.

"Headmistress Willis, while we appreciate your concern and swift call to action, my wife and I would like you to have the whole story before you determine that coaching is the only necessary course of action," Chuck began.

Headmistress Willis nodded.

"Our daughter wanted her father to see her classroom and introduce her teacher to him. Your teacher then used a break in the class to take a few moments to hit on my husband, first inside the classroom with the children a few feet away and then outside of it. Surely you can agree with us that Ms. Kendrick's judgment is lacking, and we are seriously beginning to question not only her integrity, but also that of this school," Blair stated. "We aren't only asking, but we are demanding Ms. Kendrick's resignation, or we will happily enroll our daughter in another school, and take our significant charitable contributions with us."

"Mister and Mrs. Bass, the allegations that you are making against Ms. Kendrick are very serious. It is our strict policy to not allow teachers to date parents of their students. I have an obligation to investigate. If any misconduct has occurred, I assure you that proper steps will be taken to correct them," the headmistress stated.

"Ms. Willis, there was no dating. There was however extreme flirting and a very uncomfortable offer," Chuck responded. "I made it clear that I am a happily married man. I told her that I was going to tell my wife what happened, and together we were going to decide our next course of action. Blair and I talked about it, and we agreed to first make sure that it didn't adversely affect our daughter. Charlotte came to us not even twenty minutes ago on the verge of tears because her teacher was insulting her and her father."

"And I am very sorry about that, but we have a procedure we must follow," Headmistress Willis responded.

"Ms. Willis, our daughter will not be attending this school so long as Ms. Kendrick is employed here. I would rather teach her myself than have her be subjected to the type of humility she suffered today," Blair replied. Chuck heard the anger in her voice although she was doing an admirable job controlling her temper. He doubted that Headmistress Willis knew how upset she really was.

"Mister and Mrs. Bass, I understand your concerns," the education replied.

"You keep saying that," Blair snapped as she rose up from her chair suddenly. Chuck flinched at her tone. She had met her breaking point. The gloves were coming off. As territorial as she was in regards to her husband, she was ten times more protective of her children.

"This school is supposed to be the finest school in the entire country. That is the reason my husband and I selected it to educate our daughter. We're not even into the first week, and already my daughter as been reduced to tears by one of your employees. That is unacceptable. I want Ms. Kendrick removed from that classroom immediately. She does not deserve an investigation or a school board review. She deserves to be thrown out on her ass and her teaching license suspended indefinitely. I will do whatever it takes to see that happen. Need I remind you that you have a room full of disgruntled parents right outside your door that have children who witnessed first hand the inappropriate behavior of said teacher. I do not think it will take much convincing on the part of my husband or myself to convince any of them that Ms. Kendrick deserves no better than a pink slip and a swift kick in the ass. If we have to overthrow you in the process, we will."

"Is that a threat?" Ms. Willis challenged her.

"No, it's a promise," Blair responded without flinching.

"I can suspend her without pay pending an investigation," Ms. Willis backed down immediately, "But that is as the best I can do."

"That's a start," Blair sighed as she retook her seat.

"I will need both you and Mister Bass to give sworn statements during our investigation," Ms. Willis stated.

"Done," Blair and Chuck responded in unison.

"The investigators will need to speak with your daughter," Ms. Willis continued.

"In the presence of either my husband or myself," Blair added.

"Of course," Ms. Willis nodded. "It will take a few days to get everything started, but Ms. Kendrick will be placed on suspension effective immediately."

"My husband and I will make ourselves available whenever you need us," Blair replied as she stood up. Chuck hesitated slightly in nodding before he stood up as well. After each took turns shaking the headmistress's hand, they exited the office.

"Blair, I have a board meeting in a few days," Chuck reminded her as the made their way back to their limo where their children were eagerly awaiting their return.

"Can it be rescheduled?" she inquired as the reminder jarred her memory. She had completely forgotten. " . . .if needed?"

"I haven't seen the agenda yet," he told her, "I don't know."

"We'll cross that road when we get to it," Blair sighed as she hugged his arm as they continued walking.

"You were like a little pitbull in Headmistress Willis's office," he chuckled as he kissed her temple. "I'm so turned on right now."

She smacked his shoulder as she shook her head in amusement as they passed one empty classroom after another.

"Have I told you about my school teacher fantasy?" he inquired as he lifted a mischievous eyebrow in her direction. "I'd love to take you on one of those cute school desks like they have in Charlotte's classroom."

Blair was blushing profusely as they exited the school where their limo was patiently waiting for them.

"Crimson is a good color on you," he teased as he saw Arthur exited the back of the limo where he had apparently been entertaining their children as they waited patiently for their parents to return. She smacked him once more as she climbed into the vehicle.

"Mommy is red," Brice observed.

"Did you yell at Ms. Kendrick?" Charlotte asked hopefully as she climbed into her mother's lap.

"No," Blair shook her head as she kissed Charlotte's forehead, "But Ms. Kendrick will not be teaching your class tomorrow."

"Or hopefully ever again," Chuck added as Brice climbed into his lap.

"Why are you red, Mommy?" Brice inquired as he reached up to touch his mother's face to feel it warm to the touch.

"Blame Daddy," Blair replied as she nudged against her husband playfully.

"Are you fighting again?" Brice asked as he threw his hands up in exasperation as he tried to squirm out of Chuck's lap.

"No, weren't not fighting again," Chuck laughed as he held Brice tight, "I embarrassed Mommy with something that I said. I promise we're not fighting."

Brice stopped struggling. "Prove it," Brice demanded as he turned to look at his father. "Kiss her."

Blair didn't even try to hide the laugh that escaped her lips.

"And you better really kiss her," Charlotte added.

"Where do they get these things?" Chuck laughed as he leaned over to kiss Blair, devouring her like he knew his children were requesting.

Brice used his father's distraction to slip from his lap and next to his puppy. Charlotte, sensing that her parents were getting lost in their kiss, relocated herself next to Brice. Blair instantly slid herself into Chuck's lap. Their children merely tuned their parents out as they always did. There was never any stopping them.

**I'm not sure that I'm happy with ending this story right here, but the other idea that I mentioned has been festering for far too long and will not be ignored. I may pick this story up after I unload the story ideas I have for the other project, but it will have a different title. This seemed like an okay place to stop. If you do not agree, I apologize in advance.**

**Stay tuned for my next story. **


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